Portable communications devices such as high functionality (multi-function) cellular phones have become important tools for business as well as entertainment and pleasure. However, the more useful such a device becomes, the more likely the user is to carry the device. With this in mind, there is substantial interest in reducing the weight and thickness of such devices even as their capabilities continue to increase.
Component miniaturization and spatial efficiencies will continue to play important roles in this regard. In addition, device customization may be used to reduce the device footprint. For example, a user may wish to have a camera function but not a wireless speaker function; a device that has the former and lacks the latter can be provided, and will have a lower weight and thickness than a device having both features.
However, it is generally not practical for device manufacturers to maintain a large number of different production lines to supply differently-configured versions of the same base device. One approach that allows users to customize a completed device is a modular approach. With modularization, a base or primary device is produced and configured to be compatible with a number of secondary modules or devices that provide additional functions.
Thus, continuing with the example above, the primary device may include basic computing functionality and wireless communication capabilities, but may not include a camera function or a wireless speaker function. To serve the needs of various users, two secondary devices can be produced; the first secondary device may be a camera module and the second secondary device may be a wireless speaker module. By using the primary device coupled to the appropriate secondary module, each user is able to create a device that is customized to meet their needs.
However, with respect to modular platforms such as this, the inventors have observed that different secondary modules may impinge on the antenna performance of the primary device, and may do so in different ways. In particular, if the antenna performance of the first device has been optimized for stand-alone performance, the effect of adding the second device will generally be to decrease the communication performance in the combined unit to some extent.
While the present disclosure is directed to a system that can eliminate certain shortcomings noted in this Background section, it should be appreciated that such a benefit is neither a limitation on the scope of the disclosed principles nor of the attached claims, except to the extent expressly noted in the claims. Additionally, the discussion of technology in this Background section is reflective of the inventors' own observations, considerations, and thoughts, and is in no way intended to accurately catalog or comprehensively summarize the art in the public domain. As such, the inventors expressly disclaim this section as admitted or assumed prior art with respect to the discussed details. Moreover, the identification herein of a desirable course of action reflects the inventors' own observations and ideas, and should not be assumed to indicate an art-recognized desirability.